A PAIR OF 22-KARAT GOLD EMERALD-INSET DRESS ORNAMENTS WITH KINNARIS, 18TH-19TH CENTURY

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A PAIR OF 22-KARAT GOLD EMERALD-INSET DRESS ORNAMENTS WITH KINNARIS, 18TH-19TH CENTURY Northern India or Himalayan regions. Finely worked in 22-karat gold, these exceptionally rare dress ornaments are centered by repoussé figures of kinnaris, celestial beings of Hindu mythology combining human and avian forms. Each female figure is dynamically rendered with arms outstretched before broad feathered wings, framed by delicate openwork. The richly ornamented crescent-shaped lower borders are applied with beaded bands and a continuous row of flowerheads set with small emeralds, with a further emerald-set flower crowning each kinnari. Suspended below are numerous thin, teardrop-shaped gold leaves, individually attached by small jump rings to shimmer with the movement of the wearer. The reverse of each ornament is fitted with three curved gold hooks for attachment to a garment. (2) Net gold value: The value of approximately 70 grams of 22 karat gold at the time of writing is approx. EUR 8,000. Dimensions: Height 7.9 cm, width 9.7 cm each. The distinctive beauty of these rare ornaments lies in the balance between sculptural richness and graceful movement. Each is centered by a kinnari, a celestial female being associated in Indian and Himalayan tradition with beauty, music, love, and refined grace, making the subject especially appropriate for personal adornment. Literature comparison: Compare a pair of repousse gold earrings with Vishnu riding Garuda, Nepal, Kathmandu Valley, 17th-18th century, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1915.346. Compare a gold ornament depicting Vishnu riding on Garuda, Nepal, 18th 19th century, in the Art Institute of Chicago, accession number 2016.111. Compare an earlier gold repousse diadem with kinnaris, probably Kashmir, 9th-10th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1988.395a-c. The diadem similarly combines prominent kinnari figures with repousse goldwork and numerous freely suspended gold pendants along the lower edge; see also Recent Acquisitions: A Selection, 1988-1989, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, vol. 47, no. 2, Fall 1989, p. 88.

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